


Break Free

by AnAntTM



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-17
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-07-13 09:18:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16014926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnAntTM/pseuds/AnAntTM
Summary: After having stumbled upon the Metaverse Nav on her phone, Hifumi accidentally finds her way into her mother's Palace. When confronted by how little her mother really cares for her, Hifumi reaches her breaking point. It is unbefitting of the Queen of a Kingdom to be a pawn in someone else's schemes.Morningstar makes her appearance.





	Break Free

A chill ran down her spine, though she wasn’t quite sure why; it wasn’t chilly in the building, and there wasn’t even a faint signal of wind nearby. Just an… almost empty feeling. Perhaps it was her nervousness acting against her. 

Her surroundings paved no clear understanding to where she was... All around her were fanciful red velvet, gilded curtains and tapestries hanging on the walls; they were accompanied by masks of different sizes, textures, and designs. The walls and floor seemed to be made of a wooden texture, but she couldn’t exactly make them out for sure. Was this some sort of… theater? It seemed like that was the case. 

But how exactly had Hifumi stumbled her way into an Elizabethan styled theater on her way to the Church of Kanda…? It must have had something to do with that strange app that appeared on her phone after her last match with Kurusu-san. Her curiosity got the better of her and, well… the rest is history, as they say.

She walked around for what seemed like hours; actors passed by in a hurry, they seemed to care more about the scripts that were practically attached to their faces than they were for the obviously lost girl. How rude. But… they seemed to be heading in the same direction; that was, toward a large room labeled ‘Amphitheater’ by the sign hanging just above. With no clear sign of anywhere else to go… it wouldn’t exactly hurt for her to check, right?

Slowly blending in with the sea of actors, who still paid absolutely no mind to the girl yet made… strange, almost guttural noises, Hifumi walked along. The Amphitheater was massive, likely seating upwards of 1000 people. But, without much opportunity to slide out from the crowd, she found herself funneling in towards the front row seats. 

After several minutes of sitting there, waiting, the chill from earlier seemed to return; along with it, came a small sense of dread. Barely present, now, but it was still there. Just what was going on here...?

It seems that question would soon be answered.

A loud, almost ear shattering clamor echoed throughout the hall; Hifumi covered her ears, but not before flinching in pain at the sudden shouting all around her. Looking up toward the stage, it was clear now what had suddenly caused all of this: a figure had stepped out from stage left. She was wearing a grandiose red dress, which was odd given its many tatters on the bottom; along with that, she had on a golden mask that was connected to a similarly painted crown-like design. This must have been the main show of the theater.

“Settle down, everyone! I know you’re all excited to see me… but it seems to me that we have a special guest in the audience. She was /very/ important to my rise to fame after all!”

The strange woman tapped the mic, before clearly her throat in an overly dramatic manner. Her voice seemed very familiar to Hifumi. No… it couldn’t be. Right? 

“… May Hifumi Togo please step forth onto the stage? Her mother oh so wishes to thank her for all this success she helped me achieve!”  
Before Hifumi could react, much less even think, the actors… no, that wasn’t the word to describe them anymore. More accurately, the /Shadows/ had surrounded her, dragging her onto the stage before promptly tossing her up onto it. The girl rolled for a second, before staggering onto her feet.

Mitsuyo grinned menacingly, almost as if she was pleased with seeing her daughter treated as such. 

“Ah there you are, dear. You know… I really do have to thank you for all of this. That career of playing that stupid game of yours really has finally paid off. All that yen thrown away, so you could think of yourself as a /winner/ gave /me/ the fame that I have always wanted!” 

“’Stupid game?’ Fame you’ve always wanted? Mother that’s… I can’t believe you would just use me like some sort of pawn!” Hifumi’s voice was a mix of shakiness and anger now; feeling a mix of the two emotions. 

“Of course, you were a pawn. You couldn’t play that game properly to save your own life! You’re a disgrace to your father’s legacy, and you /know/ it.” 

“I… I always practiced and trained, so I could be good enough like father… to accomplish his dream but… and yet /all/ of it was fake? Just so /you/ could benefit off /my/ name and success? How… How dare you!” Her Mother’s words were like a punch to the gut. With a kick, as added insult to injury. It was as if everything she’d known her whole life was a lie. But why…? Why would she do this? No. How… How could Hifumi have allowed this?

“Oh, but don’t look so down… it’s alright. Mother’s here. Even if you were just a stepping stone for my fame… I still love you, dear. Now be a good girl and let me revel in this, okay? Mother's /earned/ this, after all.”

‘… Are you just going to let her win? To treat you like you’re worthless?’ a voice echoed in her head.

There was a sharp pain in Hifumi’s head, a massive migraine washing over her. She put her head into her hands, grunting in pain as her head pounded more and more…

‘You are better than this. You are /worth/ more than this. Your life is not some toy for her to play with, to mold for /her/ desires. There is a way you can resolve this… speak my name.’

The pain in her head had subsided now. As Hifumi raised from her hands, a mask had taken shape across her features; it covered half her face, with a gilded red and white pattern. 

“I am your daughter, Mother. Not someone you can take advantage of. I /will/ see mine and father’s dream come true, even if that means stopping you! Come to me… Mu Lan!” Hifumi spoke with a newfound resolve. 

Grabbing hold of the mask, she ripped it off in one swift movement; the blood-and-flame mixture now consumed Hifumi. Her outfit had now completely changed; her school uniform had made way for an elegant black and red gilded, silk coat, much like that of royalty. But she wasn’t the type of ‘Queen of her Kingdom’ to simply sit back, for along with this she had two silver katanas holstered at each side of her hips.

Soon, the flames lifted off her body to take shape into a humanoid figure, adorned in traditional Chinese red, layered armor that covered its muscular physique; it had flowing, black hair. Her Persona had finally manifested itself.

“It seems you’ve finally come to your senses. There was never any hope of her seeing you as more than a pawn if you let her walk all over you. You must grasp your freedom in your own hands… and never let anyone dare steal it again!   
I am thou. Thou art I. We have finally forged a contract. Your life is not hers to control… I will gladly lend you my strength.” Mu Lan spoke, before unsheathing its two sleek, steel katanas, ready to fight.

Off in the distance, Hifumi heard the shattering of glass. It seemed as if someone, or rather a group of people, had just broken into the Amphitheater… so it seems /that/ suspicion of hers was true. That explains why he asked for her name. Returning her focus to the Shadow in front of her, Hifumi pointed one of her katanas at its throat.

“Concede your defeat, Mother.”

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this AU idea planned for months now, but I haven't actually sat down and written out the whole awakening. But I did plan out an entire move set, weapons, and evolved Persona. Go figure-
> 
> I have a little more stuff written out for my AU/some of this information on my carrd for my Hifumi account: agamblersspirit.carrd.co. 
> 
> P.S. I haven't written a solo in like 4 months so I hope it turned out alright ^^


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